


Without A Trace

by DarthUmbreon (SperoDeoVolente)



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Bombs, Dark, Death, F/F, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Other, Romance, not evil reaper/gabriel actual good r76
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-04
Updated: 2016-09-16
Packaged: 2018-07-20 00:46:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7384306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SperoDeoVolente/pseuds/DarthUmbreon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Lena Oxton was shot into the timeline, what secrets did the future show her? It showed her the end of humanity. She came back armed with the knowledge of what she has to change to save humanity. It starts off simply enough, make sure Gabriel Reyes doesn't become commander - Jack Morrison becomes leader instead. How much change does she do to save humanity, all without leaving a trace of her actions? Can she save the world or will it still all end with death?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Hello Tracer! What a horrible future you have!

“You ready for this Tracer,” Mercy asks, eyes scanning her for any abnormalities. Everything comes back green. Tracer is in peak health, there is nothing to hold back the test flight.

“Relax, Dr. Ziegler. I’ll be fine!” Lena pats Mercy on the shoulder. Gently she squeezes once, Mercy’s muscles taunt under her fingers. Geez! Why is everyone so worried? Since Winston’s discovery of using force fields to navigate the timeline, scientists have been itching to control the possibility of teleporting through time. Imagine how many lives could be saved if the Omnics were defeated before they attack the innocent? Such a feat has to be mastered if possible! I can do this! I will master this jet. Imagine how many we can save!

“ ’Course I’m ready, love! I was born for this.” Tracer attempts to get Mercy to relax. Quickly flashing her a cheeky wink and grin Lena hops off the exam table. Tracer strides out the door, flashing her a farewell salute. I am the best choice to pilot the Slipstream. Not only is she Overwatch’s best pilot, she has no fear. It would take nerves of steel to attempt this with any chance of success. No one else bids her farewell, the halls are empty. Good! Nothing like awkward farewells to stall the test flight. Doesn’t take long to slide into her jumpsuit. Winston made it extra special; it has all kinds of sensors to monitor her condition. Winston is a big softy, always watching her back. Not that she needs it! 

Jack and Winston are waiting for her at the jet. Jack looks equal parts relaxed, confident, and attentive. Winston looks like he hasn’t gotten enough sleep, per usual before she tests one of his fancy new tech. No words are exchanged, they know her too well. Lena hates farewells before a test flight. It always seems to her like they’re terrified she won’t make it back when they taste time saying goodbye. 

As the jet comes alive under fingers, a thrill runs down Lena’s spine. She lives for moments like this! Smooth as silk the Slipstream takes off. Like all jets Overwatch maintains, it flys like a beast. Handling all the turns, dives, and crazy moves like a charm. Brown eyes focus on the blue display in front of her. Suddenly it flickers. It shouldn’t do that! A familiar face appears on the display, giving her a smile full of sorrow. Panic grips her heart that sight; suddenly she can’t breath. Voices start yelling in her ear. Winston is screaming at her. Yet none of his words register. All she can see is the face in the display. Static crackles cutting off her comm. An explosion shatters the Slipstream, her entire world goes blue. Lena wants to scream. Fingers grasp for something, but nothing is there! Nothing but whirling blue chaos. Her vision starts to fade. She can’t breath! This is it, her end. Maybe farewells aren’t such a dumb tradition after all...

Again that damned face appears at the corner of her vision! An impossible strong hand grabs her arm. Suddenly Lena Oxton finds herself yanked out of the blue, and into hell. Body thumping hard onto the ground, Lena tucks body into a roll. Her unexpected tumble ends she hits a wall. Or rather, what was a wall. Now it is just a sad pile of rumble. Lena Oxton, the fearless Tracer, takes a long hard look around her. 

Nothing but destruction as far as she can see. Only skeletons of buildings stand, there is nothing green. Brown eyes look upwards desperate for a sign of something she recognizes, like the sapphire blue sky. Nothing but a low hanging brown, hazy clouds. Even worse is the deafening silence. Not a single sound of life from either human, animal, or Omnic! 

“Sad, isn’t it?” An all too familiar voice chimes in from her left. Lena looks over, afraid of what she’d see. Just five feet to her left is what appears to be her, but instead of the Overwatch Flight Uniform, she is wearing the Field Agent Uniform.

“W-what…” Lena stammers, still attempting to process what is happening.

“Sorry ‘bout that! I mistimed our jump into the timestream. We weren’t anchored to that particular timeline until later. I meant to yank past me here sooner. There is a lot you have to learn. Here, I need to show you something.” Tracer holds a hand, that same cheeky smile on her face. Lena looks at herself, then back at the dead world.

“Let’s do this.” Lena says back, as she is yanked to her feet. 

Again her world goes blue, before coming into focus. Her hands cover her mouth. Below her feet is London. Or rather, what remains of London. Most of the iconic buildings are gone, except good Ol’ Ben. Ash rains down from the skies, again her beloved blue skies are gone. Not a single spot of green is within view. Dead shells of Omnics litter the streets, as well what looks like a few human bones.

“What happened!” Lena gasps, knees buckling. Tracer catches her, gently lowering her to the ground of the rumble.

“I know this will be a shock, but...Overwatch will go bad. It starts with Gabriel Reyes becoming the leader of Overwatch. He is an excellent leader! But he sends Jack on a mission. The mission goes bad, he gets ambushed by Talon. They kill Jack! This breaks a part of Gabriel; he loses his humanity at losing Jack. This leads him to authorising nuclear attacks. The missiles get hijacked, and explode over civilian cities. Which causes widespread panic, more nukes are launched. Nuclear winter descends and kills everyone. But! We can change this. There are just things you have to do in the past. Oh wait...I need to you back to the present timeline. Need to show the crew we’re not dead, just...on a small detour.” Tracer flips her forehead with her index finger. 

Lena Oxton once more finds herself flung into the blue. Her mind is whirling at what she’s learned. Again she finds herself back home. Where the sky is blue, and things are alive. Yet, she isn’t! In front of her is the original Overwatch team. All of them stare at her in open. Gabriel looks like a fish, his mouth actual dropping! Jack reaches for her, instinctively she reaches for his comforting grip. Her fingers slip through his, causing a jumble of static. Once more she is flung into the blue hell. Lena finds herself at the Overwatch Headquarters in Switzerland. Or what remains of them. Body leaning against a wall is future Tracer, that cheeky grin in place.

“Have a nice trip! Don’t bother answering that, I already know the answer.” Tracer says with grin, flashing her a wink. Parts of her want to smack her future self, but that would be counter productive. What she needs now is answers.

“Explain.” Lena demands, arms crossing her chest.

“I can do one better! I can show you. Take good notes, ‘cause I’m going to show you what we have to do to save humanity. Just remember, what happens is hell, but the alternative is worse. When you get anchored to that timeline, don’t forget...no matter what you do, it’s for the best.”


	2. It starts! The past is changed!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tracer changes history! And the path that starts to unravel Overwatch grows.

Nothing like learning the future and what she needs to do to prevent it! The things Lena saw altered her. She was stuck between time lines, a ghost to the world. A side effect of chronal disassociation is being a “ghost” not having an actual body, just a flicker of light gone after a moment. An interesting experience, really! Not one she ever wants to repeat though.

After Lena adjusted to constantly being thrown around the time line, it became a game to her to see what new places her condition would send her. Still she missed having a solid body. With a body she could force Winston to get some sleep. He barely got ten hours of sleep a week, frantic to bring her back. When she wasn't learning the future, she observed her team. It amazed her how much they missed her. 

All of them grieved for her. Once they found out she wasn't really gone, just misplaced, they all helped out to save her. Winston was the genius behind her chronal accelerator. Overwatch is what gave him the support to make it possible. Everyone would pitch in with ideas, no matter how stupid. They took turns bringing him food and drink. Mercy, bless her soul, often would provide healing to keep Winston from collapsing. It was her efforts that made it possible for him to work with so little sleep. Gabriel and Jack would tag team efforts to keep him informed of the world, that it hadn't ended without his efforts in the field. Genji would keep him silent company late at night, after most people were asleep. McCree made Winston his special, super secret recipe for the Best Coffee Ever (™). The secret ingredient is Jack Daniels, which Jesse keeps stored in a secret container disguised as a bullet. 

Thankfully, Winston put together a chronal accelerator for her fairly quickly, before he hurt himself from lack of sleep, and that nasty excuse for coffee Jesse drinks. Once Lena returned to the present, all of the main Overwatch team welcomed her back with open arms, and a massive party. Even gruff, grumpy pants Gabriel gave her a brief hug. It was a defining moment for her. Lena Oxton died that day, in her place Tracer, ace agent of Overwatch took over. Overwatch is her family, and they mean the world to her. Months passed after Tracers comeback, and things settled down peacefully. Until that day she made the first change.

“ ‘Ey boss, can I ‘ave a moment?” Tracer inquires to some bigwig from the UN. They were doing annual reviews, prepping for promotions.

“Big quick Tracer. I have important business.” He grunts back, without looking at her.

“You doing reviews for promotions, right? I want to suggest Jack Morrison as Commander. Sure, Gabriel Reyes has seniority...but, Jack? He’s an inspiration to the team. To the world! He’s a poster perfect example of the ideal leader. Gabriel, he’s got experience, and a good ‘ead...but he’s not what the world needs. You know what I mean? PR and all that.” Tracer replies a small grin on her face. 

Patiently she waits. As her words trickle through his bureaucratic mind, the cogs turn. As the light dawns in his eyes, she nods. One finger rises in salute, then she turns away. There, the first change has been made. Before anyone can spot her in this section of HQ, she slips into the time stream, blue chaos all around her. Now to get some lunch! Hopefully the cafeteria has ham sandwiches today!

“Hey, Tracer you want to join newest pool?” Torbjörn inquires hands full of food.

“Oh, what’re we betting on now?” Tracer asks back, curious. Overwatch members are constantly finding the silliest things to make office betting pools over. Humor helps keep the team sane amidst the chaos of battle.

“When Gabriel will finally ask Jack on date!” Torbjörn whispers, looking around to see if Gabriel or Jack are within earshot.

“What? Why’d you start that pool? You know poor Gabriel won’t ask Jack out! Poor Gabriel thinks Jack is straight.” Tracer replies, voice also lowering. Jack crushes on Gabriel, won’t ask him out because he believes in keeping things professional at work. Gabriel thinks Jack is straight, and refuses to risk the their friendship with asking Jack on a date. Their dancing around their mutual attraction is the source constant hilarity among the team. 

“Hohoho! That’s because Genji lost a bet with Mercy. Genji subscribed Jack to some gay porn, postmarked to his office. Reinhardt had Gabriel deliver Jack’s mail that day! Hahaha, the look on Gabriel's face was priceless. Jack turned so red when Gabriel handed him the porn, ohohoho! Let’s just say with Gabriel’s promotion coming up, things are lookin…” Torbjörn trails off as Gabriel walks into the room.

“Sorry, love. I can’t take bet.” Tracer whispers back. Merry mood gone, stones of despair sink into her soul. 

Appetite gone, she waves off Torbjörn confused look. Memories flash in her mind’s eye. Gabriel sobbing over Jack’s corpse, recovered from that ambush. In this time line, Jack doesn't die in that ambush, because he is never ordered to go. They both live, but they never get together. Tracer has seen what happens next. Without this promotion, Gabriel doesn't gain the confidence to ask Jack out. Sad, really. Gabriel thinks he has to prove himself to Jack. Where a happy relationship once bloomed, a bitterness will grow between them. Hands tightening into fists, Tracer zips into the silent chaos of the time stream. She ruined their happiness for the sake the world; this is the only path saves all of humanity. Where no one can possibly see, Tracer cries. This is the start, there is more she has to do. More lives she has to destroy for the sake of the world.


	3. The Finale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tracer desperately looks for a way to save everyone. To keep the world from ending. Things don't go as planned, and she has to make a tough choice. Not everyone can survive to see the world survive.

A thick, heavy silence reigns in Overwatch. Ever since Jack was promoted over Gabriel for the position of Strike Commander, things have changed. Jack was a soldier through and through, so when a higher-up told him, “Take command of Overwatch,” he said yes by reflex only not considering anyone else. Gabriel took over the newly created Blackwatch without protest, bringing Jesse McCree with him. Still, the look of pain and betrayal on his face was clear to read for everyone.

Genji left Overwatch, unable to bear the tension. It hurt Tracer when he left. She knew how much his second family meant to him, after the disaster with his birth family. As his fingers lingered on her shoulder, the two of them waiting for his transport, she almost told him. Before she could bring herself to voice the words, the transport landed. Genji left without looking back. A sob escaped her at the defeated slump of his shoulders. _This is my fault! I’m sorry Genji, please forgive me._ Long after the dust settled from the transport blasting off, Tracer stood stock still. Silent sobs shook her entire body.

This was only the first goodbye, one of many. Overwatch wasn’t needed, it was just a farce. None of them knew that, however. Everyone still gave their all because what other purpose did they have? All the while, Tracer watches in case the future changes for the worse. Dismay fills her every single time she goes forward in the timeline by fifty years. Even though she had Jack promoted over Gabriel, the future doesn’t change. _Why? Why aren’t things getting better?!_ Future Tracer is also there, scouting for the proper way to save the world. Usually they just salute each other, rarely more than a couple words exchanged between them. Her future self always looks tired. Sometimes Tracer sees her past self, searching for the correct way to save them all. Each time her body looks exhausted. Traveling to the distant future like this is hard work, and drains a lot of energy. As she jumps through the timeline, looking for what goes wrong, despair fills her. Overwatch and Blackwatch are just pawns, used like puppets.

Someone in the UN told Talon about Jack’s mission in the first timeline. He was killed just to push Gabriel over the edge. With Jack in charge instead, they achieve the same result by causing conflict between Jack and Gabriel. They make Blackwatch go bad instead, forcing a good man to do the worst missions imaginable while Jack gets all the glory. Things still go wrong in that timeline dispate Tracers best efforts, and when the public tries to go for Jack’s head, he somehow manages to keep things together, making the people in the UN furious.

Tracer watches this from the shadows, anger growing in her heart. We saved the world! Defeated the God Programs with our sweat and blood! And this is ‘ow they repay us? It’s not fair! We deserve an ‘appy ending! Determined to make things right at any cost, she goes through the timeline over and over. It hurts watching her friends suffer and die because of petty politics. By the end, they all die. Jesse gets a bullet in the back. Genji is killed by omnics. Reinhardt and Ana die trying to redeem Amelie. Angela, known as Mercy dies to a bomb blast, attempting to save a town from disease. Jack dies trying to rescue children in a small town in Mexico, saving no one. She didn’t think Jack would rush in like that, not after being so badly wounded. Even though Gabriel was furious about Jack taking his promotion, he still loses his shit when Jack dies. After Jack dies in Mexico, Gabriel unleashes a biological weapon that incinerates every living object. Jack means the world to Gabriel, and Gabriel destroys it in revenge. Tracer changes the past again, and Jack still dies… this time to a rogue missile launched by an omnic. In that timeline, Gabriel goes the nuclear war route, resulting in the same ending as the first timeline.

Her brown eyes, long unable to shed tears, look for the path that will save them _all,_  her brothers and sisters, her adopted dads Gabriel and Jack, everyone on the planet. No matter how many changes she makes, those two fuck it up when they fight, fall out of sorts, then one of them dies. Eventually Tracer got to see what happens if Gabriel Reyes died due to an oversight on her part instead of Jack Morrison. Perhaps she could get a better result if he died instead of Jack? She always thought Jack to the more reasonable of the two, kind and caring. Not after she got to see the fallout from that ending. Nothing could be further from the truth. Jack causes so much death and destruction that the water ran red with blood. Blood and ash rain equally from the skies. In his despair, Jack lost all reason. Somehow he found a backup of a God Program, rewrote some of its code, and turned that horror loose. That ending isn’t going to happen, so Tracer went back to the beginning, trying to keep both of them alive. Jack and Gabe were like fathers to her, she owes them both so much.

Watching them self destruct over and over, often because of her actions, feels like nails being driven into her flesh with every angry word they yell at each other. Tracer tried to fix the timeline nearly a hundred times. She can only got back as far as when she gets anchored by the chronal accelerator. It’s impossible for her to go back any further. After every trip to the future she has to rest for weeks, unable to move. It takes a lot of effort to travel through the timeline. Each time she sees Future, or Past Tracer, they all have the same haunted look in their eyes. How many times do they have to ruin the lives of their adopted dads to save the world? In several timelines she tried to hunt down the Puppet Master. To her horror, there isn’t a single person doing this. The corruption is rife; thousands of world leaders have their fingers in the criminal underworld. They all benefit from war, so peacetime is not profitable for them. If she killed every single person who pulled the strings attached to her adopted family, it would destabilize too many governments.

When she finally tried to fix everything that way, it lead to another nuclear winter. What she takes from it all, finally stopping after 101th attempt is that the end of the world pivots on Jack Morrison and Gabriel Reyes. No matter what she does to change the result; it always comes down to a big fight between Jack and Gabriel. In every single timeline the two of them are manipulated into an explosive fight. I think I’ll do things differently this time. The basic timeline needed to save the world involves Jack getting promoted over Gabriel. So she takes that path.

Tracer talks Wilson Zimmers into promoting Jack over Gabriel, like she did the first time. As she watches the bickering break out between them, she sends them both memos, supposedly from each other. They need to talk, the note says, asking to meet at the Headquarters in Switzerland. Then she plants several of her pulse bombs, surrounding the chamber her dads are fighting in. I’m sorry Jack. I’m sorry Gabriel. But you both need to die, or else everyone will die. The world will end, and you’re not worth the weight of everyone else. Tracer waits in the shadows, ears straining for the sound of familiar voices. No one else is nearby, today is a holiday. All of the cleaning staff is away with their families. The casualties should be just Jack and Gabriel. Guilt weighs her down, heavy as a stone around her neck. Her fingers feel like lead, heavy over the pulse bomb beneath them as she sets them down in the right places. Loud angry voices echo through the empty hallways. Jack and Gabriel are yelling at each other, accusations flying wildly. Tears flow down her cheeks at their hate filled tone. In a different time, in a different world that also ends, they ended up together happily-ever-after. If only she could have them be happy and save the world. “If only” doesn’t happen as their voices escalate in volume, followed by the sounds of fists against flesh. Once she is certain they are well within the blast zone, unable to reach safety, she denotes the bombs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you DefinitelyNotScott for beta'ing this!


End file.
